Google, dailies launch 'Living Stories' project

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Internet search leader Google Inc. is teaming up with The New York Times and The Washington Post in its latest attempt to help out the ailing newspaper industry.

The new project, called "Living Stories," debuted Tuesday in the experimental "labs" section on Google's Web site.

The service is supposed to make it easier for readers to follow evolving news stories. It will package stories from both the Times and the Post so the coverage can be more easily updated to include new developments.

Some of the initial topics featured on the service Tuesday included health care reform, executive pay and the Washington Redskins.

Google isn't paying the newspapers to feature the content, and there aren't any immediate plans to sell advertising alongside the material, said Josh Cohen, a Google product manager overseeing the project.

Still, Google thinks Living Stories can help newspapers adapt to a shift that is causing millions of people to get their news from online sources instead of print. Newspapers make most of their money from ads appearing in print.